Session five
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Thomas Wilson discusses lending practices in his 1572 work A Discourse Upon Usury. He argues that lending freely without interest helps neighbors in need, while lending for profit turns a virtuous act into a greedy vice. He also claims that Jews are universally hated for practicing usury, or lending with interest, and that English money lenders are no better than Jews for profiting off others' financial needs.
Session five
- 1. William Shakespeare and The Merchant of Venice
- 2. Thomas Wilson A Discourse Upon Usury (1572) To lende freely is a kynde of liberalitie and bountifulnes, when a man departeth from his owne to help his neighbours want, wythout any hope of lucre or gayne at all; for he is benefited that borroweth and feeleth greate comforte in his great neede.
- 3. Thomas Wilson A Discourse Upon Usury (1572) Whereas lending for gayne is a chiefe branch of covetousness, and makes him, that before might have ben counted bountifull, to be now reconed a greedy gayner for himself, seeking his own welfare upon good assurance, without any care at all what becometh of his neighbour, grawing him unmercifully, to satisfie his own wretched and most greedy hunger, directly turnynge a most bewtifull verture into a most filthy abhominable vyce.
- 4. Thomas Wilson A Discourse Upon Usury (1572) What is the matter that Iewes are universally hated wheresoever they come? For soothe, usurie is one of the chief causes, for they robbe all men that deale with them, and undoe them in the end. And for thys cause they were hated in England, and so banyshed worthelye, with whome I would wyshe all these Englishemen were sent that lende their money of their goods whatsoever for gayne, for I take them to be no better than Iewes.
- 5. Thomas Wilson A Discourse Upon Usury (1572) And howe can these men be of god that are so farr from charitie, that care not howe they get goods so they may have them?